Could Tesco closures mean a boost for small businesses? – Zella Compton

I was pretty gutted to read that Tesco is to do away with the fish, meat and cheese counters from its stores.
Zella will miss the fish counter at Tesco but hopes it will drive people to go back to their local butcherZella will miss the fish counter at Tesco but hopes it will drive people to go back to their local butcher
Zella will miss the fish counter at Tesco but hopes it will drive people to go back to their local butcher

That’s one of my little joys in supermarket shopping, checking out a few tasters, mixing and matching little treats, deciding which fish looks less difficult to cook and never quite summoning the bravery to do anything with something which comes with eyes (they are very beady and glaring).

Perhaps this change will be a blessing to the small trader, and more and more of us will return to our local fishmongers and butchers, especially as they use far less plastic.

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That said, I hope those who lose their jobs find other roles.

The universe is a thing of wonder and yours to explore 

Last week I had the utter pleasure of visiting the night skies courtesy of the Historic Dockyard, University of Portsmouth’s Cosmos crew and Hampshire Astronomical Group. 

Admittedly as I turned up at the dockyard I thought I’d made a huge mistake as every other parent in the line was with teeny tiny children, and there I was with my 14-year-old who swears that she is taller than me – she isn’t.

What were we going to get out of the event?

As we wandered around HMS Warrior my fears were compounded. Face painting, make-your-own-sextant, and something on a wand.

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It was one of those moments when you’re really cold and all you can do is wonder why you’re not sat at home with a mug of hot chocolate watching the box.

But then we came across a chap and a computer programme Stellarium and got completely drawn into our galaxy and the stars within it, and what it was, and why, and where, and Jupiter and Venus either side of the moon and that was it – we were hooked. 

One quick manoeuvre around ankle-biting gluing-fiends and we were on the decks looking through telescopes at Orion’s nursery stars, and gases before learning about Einstein’s theory of relativity, gravitational waves and more.

Mind you, putting (probably) PHD students on stands titled ‘ask me anything’ might not have been the wisest move as although they were able to answer in great depth and detail, I wasn’t entirely sure what they were talking about.

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Then we were into a lecture about what the universe is made of, and I can – I kid you not – happily explain to anyone what dark matter is, and dark energy, and how they work ... all in a theoretical sense of course.

Okay, I can explain what dark matter is meant to be in a wider context, not exactly the nitty-gritty and with a couple of ‘ums’ thrown in for good measure. 

Next year I’m heading straight for the learning – it’s mind-blowing and awesome and super nerdy and super exciting.

Well worth the effort whatever your age.

Save your money and give this damp squib a miss 

I went to see Aquaman last weekend which was a hopeless pile of dross from start to long long away finish.

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But if you can put aside your giggling at the sheer ridiculousness of lines like ‘I’m a scavenger of the seas’, some of the set pieces are fun.

It bothered me an awful lot that Aquaman kept swimming in his jeans, and then hopping onto dry land and walking around. Just imagine the chafing he suffered as a result.

It’s all very hot-bod until he has to apply the Vaseline to stop the thigh rub.

Once you’ve seen that plot failing, it’s very hard not to notice the rest which rush across the screen in a tsunami of absolute tosh.

I suggest you wait for the DVD.